Bacon's article discusses the Clinton Iowa County Chair who was busted circulating the madrassa rumor.
The title alone shows that he heard the feedback from the blogosphere, and his colleagues:
Clinton Campaign Volunteer Out Over False Obama Rumors
(Emphasis added)
False! Right from the get-go. Had the WaPo editors put that word in his headline, he would not have faced nearly this much grief.
Bacon continues his good work:
Hillary Clinton's campaign asked one of its volunteer county coordinators in Iowa to step down after the person forwarded an e-mail falsely stating that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Obama is a Christian and attends Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, but chain e-mails have been circulating throughout his campaign that falsely describe him as a Muslim.
Alright, that's what I'm talking about. Two more statements of the falsity of these rumors, plus a factual statement that Obama IS a Christian (not that Obama says he is a Christian).
But, he's not done yet!
A conservative magazine reported earlier this year Obama attended a madrassa, a kind of Islamic school, a charge that was untrue. CNN actually met with officials at the school who said it was not. Obama himself has publicly denouced the false charge that he is a "Muslim plant."
One 'false,' one 'untrue' and one reference to a debunking. Nothing like facts to help inform the readers.
Bacon's final paragraph:
Liberal bloggers have also seized on letter to the editor that appeared Nov. 28 in Oskaloosa Herald, an Iowa paper. It was written by another person who identified herself as a Clinton supporter, although the person doess not appear to have any formal role in the campaign. Tammy Sparks of Oskaloosa quotes direclty from of the e-mails that people are receiving about Obama that are littered with falsehoods alleging that he is Muslim and hiding it. Sparks concludes "even if your thoughts are not on Hillary Clinton to be the next president of the United States, PLEASE don't let your thoughts stop on Barack Obama!"
"Littered with falsehoods." Indeed, they are.
Kudos to Mr. Bacon for listening and delivering better reporting. Bigger kudos to his colleagues and to the angry bloggers out there who provided the constructive criticism.
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